“Do as your mother says, and we will forget all this and pretend it never happened.” His father was bored with this drama, sighing as though minorly aggravated by such an unpleasant scene. Minhui sat in silent, brokenhearted despair, staring at documents and silently weeping for her brother’s lost life. “Be a good son and do what’s expected.”
Kai eyed his father with disappointment but not shock. Deep down, he had always known his father was aware of everything his mother did and allowed it because it suited him. He had never played the active role of a dad and was merely the money maker who stood head of their house.
He had never understood Kai’s devotion to Meilei because he doubted his father had ever felt a deep love for anyone in his life. He loved his company, his position, and his money. He had never sacrificed anything for it and even married a woman his family chose for him to further their wealth. They were equally matched.
“You’re really going to destroy your life over some woman and her illegitimate offspring?” His father narrowed his gaze, showing real anger now that it affected his empire. The only language he knew.
His mother knew very little of her own son and his abilities.
He glared at his father’s silent face, knowing the man was probably thinking through how to keep his son on the helm, and snorted in disgust at the two humans who gave him life. His father didn’t care what his mother did as long as he could keep Kai’s talents in his empire. He had never shown Kai any love beyond greed over his son’s ability.
He felt oddly liberated, walking out without a backward glance, hearing only his mother break into a venting abusive and disgusting slur of names at his disappearing figure. Years of keeping his head down, doing what she said, had oppressed him in ways he had not been aware of until now.
His future was going to be one of his choosing. And for the first time in five years, he could see a tiny ray of hope lingering on the horizon that maybe he could feel happy again like he did before his sister died.
Qian walked around in a circle of the car park, his heart racing and palms clammy as he moved the bouquet from one hand to the other and checked the main foyer for the fiftieth time. He was tense all over and overheating with the level of anxiety coursing through him.
He had checked, and Suying was due to leave for a lunch break any minute. He was counting on her eating out, seeing as she did it frequently, according to other staff. His heart was hammering in his chest like a war drum as he blew out air to calm his growing nervous energy. Hopping from one foot to the other and pressing his lips together as he watched people coming and going. He severely lacked courage for the first time ever concerning a girl but knew he had to do this.
He felt nauseous but also desperate. He had been a complete mess since he had found out who she was and left things that way between them. Regretting it after he did it and not knowing what to do about it. Qian had a conscience, and hurting the girl you were fast falling for hurt him, too.
Even though they hadn’t known one another for long, Suying had somehow gotten into his head and heart, and he had not stopped thinking about her. Their last meeting had been on repeat in his mind ever since, making him feel shitty. He wanted to see her. He wanted to make things right. He wanted so badly to see her again.
Finding out San was behind everything had changed his outlook entirely on what sort of future they could have, and he was certain, given the change in circumstances, Suying might be open to giving him another chance. He just had to explain. He didn’t want to lose her, knowing there might be a way to salvage what had started between them. He had felt too much in such a short time to forget her, and he hoped she was the same even though he acted like a jackass.
He was a guy who believed in instincts, gut feelings, and the intensity of unexplained emotions. If his heart had gone all in for her in such a short time, he had a feeling that was fate telling him she might be the one.
He spotted her heading this way from the far end inside the glass main entrance, focused down at her cell as she walked. Lost in her thoughts and undeniably cute and the sight of her gave his insides a little flutter of nervy anticipation.
Today, she was dressed in blue scrubs and a ponytail, and his stomach clenched at the familiar outfit. He got that same surge of goosebumps at seeing her every time, a flip of his stomach, and a release of butterflies. Blowing out air rapid style and stiffening his posture as anxiety swirled up and almost choked him. She looked crazy pretty like always, and made him uptight with nerves, forgetting how competent he normally was with the opposite sex. She was different from other girls. He had known it the first time they interacted.
Suying wandered casually out of the hospital into the bright sunlight, texting Ling about their dinner plans after work and sliding past meandering patients loitering in the way. Paying no attention to her surroundings and oblivious to being watched. After a grueling, hectic morning, she was tired and in no mood for niceties. Taking lunch outside gave her a break from people, and she had no fears about running into that stupid Qian, given she no longer frequented the same store. She walked the extra ten minutes for one further away.
She had resigned herself to never think of him, never go anywhere she had met him. Shelving him on the forgotten list even if it hurt. He had burned her far deeper than she wanted to admit.
Seeing no one and thinking she imagined it, she moved off to start walking again and was tugged back by the elbow as someone caught her from behind. Making her heart skip a beat. She spun on whoever it was in mild shock, ready to throw them over her shoulder if it was some weirdo thug. Oh boy, had he picked the wrong girl to mug.
Suying’s eyes met Qian’s in a flicker of a question as her mouth dropped open, stilling her hostile response with the dawning realization she recognized him. Jerking her arm out of his grip and doing a double take at the flowers and then him. Balking at the fact, she had just thought about him briefly, and then here he was like she made him materialize. It made her temper sizzle.
The sight of him caused her insides to clench, her muscles to stiffen with instant painful emotion, and her eyes misted, hating that he could have such an effect on her after lying to her and using her as he did. She bit her lip to hide the tremble and tried to turn away from him. Putting distance between her and his god-awful flowers. Caught off guard and unsure how to react to him. It was one thing to steel yourself from feelings when not face to face and another thing entirely to be inches apart from the one you had been pining over.